Irenaeus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irenaeus of Smyrna
Doctor Unitatis
An engraving of St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyon, France)
Diocese	Lyon
See	Lyon
Predecessor	Pothinus
Successor	Zechariah
Personal details
Born	c. 130 AD Smyrna in Asia Minor (modern-day İzmir, Turkey)
Died	c. 202 AD Lugdunum in Gaul (modern-day Lyon, France) Irenaeus Notable work Against Heresies Theological work Era Patristic Age Language Greek Tradition or movement Trinitarianism Main interests Theodicy, millennialism Notable ideas Irenaean theodicy Recapitulation theory of atonement
Sainthood
Feast day	June 28 (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion); August 23 (Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches); Monday after fourth Sunday of the Exaltation of the Cross (Armenian Apostolic Church)
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholicism Assyrian Church of the East Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheran Church Oriental Orthodox Church Anglican Communion
Title as Saint	Bishop, Martyr, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher of the Faith and Doctor of the Church.
Beatified	June 28, 1130 Rome, Italy,
Canonized	June 28, 1202 Paris, France by Pre-Congregation
Shrines	Our Lady, House of Gold Parish Church, Ternate, Cavite.

Irenaeus (born around 130 AD and died around 202 AD) was an important early Christian leader. He was a Greek bishop known for helping Christian communities grow in what is now southern France. He also played a big role in shaping Christian theology. He worked to correct ideas that he saw as wrong, especially those from groups called Gnostics. Irenaeus helped define key beliefs of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

He came from Smyrna (modern-day İzmir, Turkey). Irenaeus had listened to Polycarp preach. Polycarp, in turn, was said to have heard John the Evangelist, one of Jesus's original followers. This made Irenaeus one of the last people with a direct link to the Apostles.

Irenaeus became the bishop of Lugdunum, which is now Lyon, France. His most famous book is Against Heresies. In this book, he argued against Gnosticism, especially the ideas of Valentinus. To fight against Gnostic groups who claimed to have secret knowledge, Irenaeus pointed to three main sources of true Christian teaching: the Scriptures, the traditions passed down from the apostles, and the teachings of the apostles' successors. He believed that the Church of Rome was the most reliable guide for Christians. He was also the first known writer to say that all four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were essential and true.

Today, Irenaeus is recognized as a saint. The Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on June 28. The Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate it on August 23. Pope Francis declared Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church in 2022. This title is given to saints who have made important contributions to Christian teaching.

Who Was Irenaeus?

Irenaeus, in the Church of St Irenaeus, Lyon.

Irenaeus was born in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (now İzmir, Turkey). He was born sometime between 120 and 140 AD. Unlike many people at that time, he grew up in a Christian family. He did not become a Christian later in life.

During the time of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor who ruled from 161 to 180 AD, Christians faced persecution. Irenaeus was a priest in the Church of Lyon. In 177 AD, the church leaders in Lyon, many of whom were in prison, sent Irenaeus to Rome. He carried a letter to Pope Eleutherius about a group called the Montanists. This trip showed how much people respected Irenaeus.

While Irenaeus was in Rome, Christians in Lyon faced severe persecution. When he returned to Gaul (France), he became the second bishop of Lyon, taking over from Saint Pothinus, who had died as a martyr.

After the persecution ended, Irenaeus focused on his duties as a pastor and missionary. Most of his writings were against Gnosticism. His most famous work is Adversus haereses, which means Against Heresies. He wrote that Gnosticism was present near Lyon. He mentioned followers of 'Marcus the Magician' teaching in the Rhone valley.

Not much is known about Irenaeus's life after he became bishop. One of his last known actions was in 190 or 191 AD. He convinced Pope Victor I not to excommunicate Christian communities in Asia Minor. These communities celebrated Easter on a different date.

The exact date of his death is unknown, but it was likely around 202 AD. He is considered a martyr by the Catholic Church and some Orthodox Churches. He was buried in Lyon, and a church was later named after him. Sadly, his tomb and remains were destroyed in 1562.

Irenaeus's Writings

Irenaeus wrote several books. The most important one that still exists is Against Heresies. This book has five parts.

• Book I: Irenaeus describes the Valentinian Gnostics and their beliefs. He traces their ideas back to a magician named Simon Magus.
• Book II: He tries to show that the Valentinian teachings are not true.
• Book III: Irenaeus uses the Gospels to prove that Gnostic ideas are false.
• Book IV: This part focuses on Jesus's sayings. Irenaeus also highlights how the Old Testament and the Gospels are connected.
• Book V: The final part looks at more sayings of Jesus and the letters of Paul the Apostle.

Irenaeus believed that truth could be found easily within the Church. He wrote, "For in her, as in a rich treasury, the apostles have placed all that pertains to truth." He also said that Christ came for "absolutely all men from the beginning" who loved God and lived justly.

A papyrus fragment of Irenaeus's Against Heresies, from around 200 AD.

The main goal of Against Heresies was to argue against different Gnostic groups. These groups taught that the physical world was created by an evil god. They believed people needed gnosis (secret knowledge) to escape this world. Irenaeus argued that true knowledge was knowing Christ. He said this knowledge helps us live in our bodies, not escape them.

Before the Nag Hammadi Library was found in 1945, Against Heresies was the best source of information about Gnosticism. Some scholars thought Irenaeus's description might be unfair. However, most modern scholars now agree that Irenaeus was quite accurate in describing Gnostic beliefs.

Irenaeus also wrote The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching. An Armenian copy of this work was found in 1904. This book was likely a guide for new Christian converts.

Other works by Irenaeus are now lost. These include On the Ogdoad and On Easter.

Irenaeus had a big impact on later Christian writers. Both Hippolytus and Tertullian used his writings. However, only Against Heresies and The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching survive today.

Irenaeus and the Bible

Irenaeus played a key role in how the New Testament was formed. He said that the public teachings of bishops and church practices were the true way to understand the Bible. This was important for understanding the Bible correctly and fighting against false teachings.

He considered not only the Old Testament but also most of the books now in the New Testament as true Scripture. He rejected many other writings, especially those by Gnostics, that claimed to be sacred. Irenaeus believed he was interpreting the Scriptures just as the Apostles did. This connection to Jesus was very important to him. Both he and the Gnostics used Scripture to support their ideas. Irenaeus argued that because he could trace his authority back to Jesus, his interpretation was correct.

Before Irenaeus, Christians often preferred one Gospel over others. For example, Christians in Asia Minor liked the Gospel of John. The Gospel of Matthew was generally the most popular. Irenaeus insisted that all four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were true Scripture. He was the first to clearly state that these four Gospels were the official ones. This might have been a response to Marcion, who had an edited version of Luke and claimed it was the only true Gospel.

Irenaeus also wrote that the Gospel of John was written by John the Apostle. He stated that the Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, who was a companion of Paul.

Scholars believe that Irenaeus quoted from 21 of the 27 New Testament books. He quoted from Paul's letters about 1,000 times. He believed that all 13 letters in the Pauline collection were written by Paul himself.

Apostolic Authority

Irenaeus argued against Gnostics who claimed to have secret teachings from Jesus. He said that the bishops in different cities could trace their authority back to the Apostles. He believed that the teachings passed down from the Apostles were a safe guide for understanding the Bible.

He used the Church in Rome as an example of this unbroken chain of authority. This idea later became important in discussions about the Pope's role. Irenaeus's main point was that all the churches started by the Apostles had kept the same traditions and teachings. This agreement among many independent churches proved that their faith was true.

Irenaeus's Theology

Irenaeus's main theological idea was the unity and goodness of God. This was different from the Gnostics, who believed in many different divine beings and a separation between God and the creator of the world. Irenaeus used the idea of the Logos (the Word of God), which he learned from Justin Martyr. Irenaeus was a student of Polycarp, who was taught by John the Apostle. John had used the Logos idea in the Gospel of John and the letter of 1 John. Irenaeus often called the Son and the Spirit the "hands of God."

God's Plan for Humanity

Irenaeus strongly believed that God is one and has been guiding the world since its creation. Everything that has happened is part of God's plan for humanity. This plan is about helping humans grow and mature. Irenaeus thought that humans were created immature. God wanted them to take time to grow into His likeness.

Everything that has happened, including difficulties, was planned by God. These challenges help humans make moral choices and grow. Irenaeus compared death to the big fish that swallowed Jonah. Just as Jonah turned to God in the whale's belly, humans can learn about God through suffering. Death and suffering might seem bad, but they help us know God better.

Irenaeus believed that Jesus coming to Earth was the most important part of God's plan. He thought that God planned for Christ to become human even before humanity was created. Irenaeus saw Christ as the "new Adam." Christ undid the mistakes of the first Adam. For example, Adam disobeyed God about the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Christ, however, was obedient even to death on a tree (the cross). Irenaeus was also the first to compare Eve and Mary. He contrasted Eve's lack of faith with Mary's faithfulness.

Irenaeus believed that our salvation comes mainly from God becoming human in Christ. He saw sin as leading to death and decay. But God is immortal and cannot decay. By joining human nature in Christ, God shares these qualities with us. This means that salvation happens through Christ becoming human, which gives humanity the ability to not decay. While Christ's death on the cross is important, Irenaeus focused more on the Incarnation (God becoming flesh).

Christ as the New Adam

Irenaeus developed the idea of Christ as the "New Adam" to argue against the Gnostics. This idea comes from Paul's comparison of Christ and Adam in the Bible (Romans 5:12–21). Irenaeus used this to show that Christ truly took on a human body. He believed it was crucial to emphasize Christ's full humanity. He thought that if the Word of God did not become flesh, humans could not be fully saved.

Irenaeus explained that by becoming human, Christ restored humanity to being in the image and likeness of God. This image was lost when Adam and Eve sinned (the Fall of man). Just as Adam was the first head of humanity through whom all sinned, Christ is the new head. He fulfills Adam's role in God's plan for salvation. Irenaeus called this process of restoring humanity "recapitulation."

Irenaeus believed that the Old Law (the Mosaic covenant) showed humanity's sinfulness but could not save them. He explained that humans have a physical nature, so a spiritual law alone could not save them. They needed a human Savior. This is why Christ had to become human. Irenaeus summarized this by saying that just as many became sinners through Adam's disobedience, many would be saved through Christ's obedience. He emphasized that Adam and Christ were both physically created. This showed how the Incarnation saves humanity's physical nature.

Irenaeus stressed that Christ reversed Adam's actions. Through His obedience, Christ undid Adam's disobedience. He saw Christ's suffering and death on the cross as the peak of His obedience. This obedience on the "tree of the Cross" undid the disobedience that happened through a tree (the Tree of Knowledge).

Irenaeus's ideas about Christ as the New Adam helped develop the recapitulation theory of atonement. This theory emphasizes that humanity is saved through Christ reversing Adam's actions. It focuses less on a legal or ritualistic way of salvation.

Gnosticism and Irenaeus

Valentinian Gnosticism was a main type of Gnosticism that Irenaeus argued against.

Gnostics believed that creation was perfect from the start. They thought it did not need time to grow. For Valentinians, the physical world was a mistake. It came from Sophia's desire to understand God. They believed that people could be saved by gaining secret knowledge. This knowledge would allow them to return to a perfect spiritual realm.

Gnostics believed there were three types of humans:

• Material: These people could not be saved.
• Psychic: These people were strengthened by good deeds and faith. They were part of the church.
• Spiritual: These people could not be harmed by physical actions. They were the only ones who would truly be saved.

In this view, the purpose of Christ becoming human was to save the "Spirituals" from their physical bodies. By taking a material body, Christ became the Savior. He made it possible for the Spirituals to receive his spiritual body. However, Irenaeus argued that this Gnostic view meant Christ himself would need saving.

Irenaeus strongly disagreed with this Gnostic view of Christ. He emphasized that the Word of God truly became flesh. He developed his own ideas about salvation. These ideas stressed the importance of Christ's physical body in saving humanity.

Irenaeus also mentioned a Gnostic gospel that showed Judas in a positive way. This gospel said Judas acted according to Jesus's instructions. The Gospel of Judas, found recently, dates from around Irenaeus's time. Scholars see it as one of many Gnostic texts, showing the different Gnostic beliefs of that period.

Images for kids

• 

  Irenaeus in the Nuremberg Chronicle

See also

In Spanish: Ireneo de Lyon para niños

• Catholic Church in Greece
• Descriptions in antiquity of the execution cross
• List of Catholic saints
• POxy 405 – 3rd century papyrus portion of Against Heresies